JACK N DILL MONKEY BREAD

by Cheesemonger Carolyn

Adapted from Chris Morocco’s “Cheesy Monkey Bread,” Bon Appetit, and Deb Perelman’s “Rushed Pizza Dough,” the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

This savory twist on a classic monkey bread takes advantage of our Kickaas Jack N Dill’s fresh herby flavor and delicious melty texture. Use store-bought biscuit dough for an easy appetizer with a slightly firmer texture, or try making your own pizza-style dough for something a little more soft n gooey. This basic recipe calls for pantry staples like dried onion flakes, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, amp up your monkey bread with some fresh ingredients like minced shallot or lemon juice—check out further suggestions at the end!

INGREDIENTS

If making dough from scratch:
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast OR 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp table salt
- Olive oil (for coating bowl)

If using store-bought dough:
- One 16 oz. can biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle, but pick your favorite or whatever’s available!)

For both versions:
- 8 oz. (1/2 lb hunk) TCP Kickaas Jack N Dill
- 1/4 cup (half a stick) unsalted butter, plus a tbsp or two for greasing your pan
- 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

PREPARATION
If you’re interested in making your own dough, start here. I promise, it’s not that hard! Otherwise, skip on down to the next section.

1. Turn your oven on low—about 200-225 degrees—for five minutes, then turn it off.
   This’ll create a nice cozy spot to speed up your dough’s rising time!

2. Pour 3/4 cup of warm water into the bowl of your stand mixer. If you’re using active dry yeast, sprinkle it over the water and let it stand for five minutes, until it foams a little bit. If you’re using instant yeast, you can just sprinkle it over the water and proceed—no need to wait.

3. Add the flour and salt, then mix with your dough hook at a moderate speed until ingredients are just combined. Reduce the speed to as low as your machine goes, and let the hook do your kneading for you until you get a nice, smooth elastic dough, usually about 5 minutes. (No stand mixer? You can absolutely do this by hand—see NOTES.)

4. Set your dough on a clean countertop for a minute while you coat the mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil (about a tablespoon, but just eyeball it!) Place dough back in the bowl, flip it a few times so all sides get coated in oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in your previously warmed oven and let it hang out there for about 30 minutes, or until roughly doubled in size.

5. Remove the dough from the oven, turn out onto a clean floured counter or large cutting board, then press down a bit to flatten. Use a bench scraper or a plain ol’ butter knife to section the dough into approximately 1-inch pieces (I got 24, but it doesn’t really matter!) Rejoice in the victory of having made your own yeast dough from scratch, then meet us down below to continue!

If you’re using store-bought biscuit dough, your task is simple:

1. Open dough according to package instructions and lay the biscuits out on a clean floured counter or large cutting board. Use a bench scraper or a plain ol’ butter knife to cut each biscuit into quarters. Easy!

To make your jack n dill monkey bread:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using one or two tablespoons of your unsalted butter, grease an ovenproof skillet (I used stainless steel, but you could use a well- seasoned cast iron pan too if you’ve got one!) If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, try a round cake pan or deep dish pie pan. Anything goes! You just want it to be about ten inches in diameter and at least two to three inches deep.

2. Get your butter ready: melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in a microwavable bowl or mug, stopping and stirring after every 30 seconds or so. Let it cool for a bit, then stir in the garlic salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. (If you’re adding lemon juice, now’s the time!)

3. Get your cheese ready: shred the Jack N Dill on the large holes of a box grater. Toss the cheese in a medium mixing bowl along with the onion flakes, table salt, and whatever additional ingredients you’ve picked out, if any (see NOTES!) Season generously with black pepper. Transfer a hefty handful of the cheese mixture into a smaller bowl and set aside for now. (If your kitchen, like mine, gets really warm with the oven on, I suggest sticking this bowl in the fridge till step 5!)

4. Assemble your monkey bread: Use your hands to roll each piece of dough into a cute little ball. Toss the dough ball first in the melted garlicky butter, followed by the cheese mixture, coating as well as possible. Then, arrange each coated dough ball in your skillet until you’ve formed a single, lovely, cheesy layer. Scatter any leftover cheese mixture on top.

5. Bake bread until the top is lightly browned, the Jack N Dill is mostly melted, and your kitchen smells amazing — 18-22 minutes. Now, remember your reserved cheese mixture? Sprinkle that on top, then continue to bake until the edges of your bread are firm and gorgeously golden brown, and the additional cheese is gooey and irresistible, about 10-15 minutes more.

6. Eat immediately! Ideally alongside a cozy bowl of tomato soup for an easy dinner. Or...for an even easier dinner...just a generous helping of bread. I won’t tell ;)

NOTES

• If you’re feeling fancy, you could add 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon) to the melted butter, and/or any of the following to the cheese mixture:
  - 1-2 oz. TCP Aged Parmesan
  - 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  - 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  - 1 minced shallot (in place of the onion flakes)
  - 4 minced garlic cloves or 2 tsp jarred minced garlic (in place of the garlic salt)

• Want to make your dough by hand? No problem! Just combine dough ingredients as instructed in a large mixing bowl, then mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients form a nice shaggy mass. Turn the contents out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 5-7 minutes. Whether you’re kneading by hand or by machine, my favorite tip is to work the dough till it’s “smooth as a baby’s bottom!” (If you’ve never kneaded a yeast dough before, check out YouTube for some useful tutorials—I like Online Culinary School’s!)

• To serve: I run a spatula around the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, then use that same spatula to cut it into cute little pie-style slices. You can also invert the entire thing onto a serving platter and pull apart as you please. Follow your heart! (Remember to wear an oven mitt if you need to steady the skillet as you’re serving; it will be VERY hot.)

• For leftovers (should there be any): store at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic or beeswax wrap. I recommend reheating under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.